US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sends China goodwill message for National Day and pledges cooperation on ‘shared challenges’

Top American diplomat wishes Chinese people ‘peace, happiness and prosperity’ while welcoming Beijing’s efforts on climate, health and food security

The message comes as Beijing and Washington ramp up exchanges, with four top-ranked US officials visiting China over the summer

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Vice-president Han Zheng shake hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 18. Photo: TNS

Zhao Ziwenin Hong KongandSylvie Zhuangin Beijing

Published: 4:47pm, 30 Sep 2023Updated: 7:35pm, 30 Sep 2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken published a statement congratulating China on its 74th National Day, which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic, pledging more cooperation with Beijing on “shared challenges” as high-level exchanges between the two countries have ramped up in recent months.

“As the United States continues to work with the international community to solve the world’s most serious challenges, we welcome the cooperation of the People’s Republic of China in addressing shared challenges, including the climate crisis, public health, counter-narcotics, food security, and global macroeconomic stability,” said the statement issued on Saturday.

He added that the US wished the people of China “peace, happiness and prosperity” in the year ahead.

Beijing and Washington have conducted a series of senior official exchanges in recent months after a deep freeze earlier this year.

Four senior officials visited Beijing over the summer: Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and John Kerry, the White House climate envoy.

Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng also met Blinken on September 18 in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. During the meeting, Blinken told Han that it was good to maintain high-level engagements between the two countries to make sure the two sides were “maintaining open communications”.

Referring to Blinken’s June visit, Han said the trip meant China and the US were “stepping up engagement and dialogue and working together to stabilise the bilateral relationship”.